The present invention relates to a fuel injection system for an internal combustion engine with direct fuel injection, with an electromagnetic control valve for pressurizing a medium-pressure space from an external medium-pressure hydraulic reservoir, and a hydraulic amplification plunger comprising a medium-pressure plunger adjacent to the medium-pressure space and a high-pressure plunger adjacent to a high-pressure space, which high-pressure space is connected to a fuel delivery line on the one side and a nozzle space surrounding the fuel needle on the other side, where the high-pressure space can be connected to a fuel bypass line in at least one intermediate position of the high-pressure plunger.